Category: Education

Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees Chairman Donald C. Seifert, Sr. announced this morning that the Board’s Presidential Search Committee has narrowed the pool of presidential candidates from forty-two down to six. In July, the Board began a nationwide search for VGCC’s next President, after Dr. Randy Parker announced that he would be leaving on September 1 to become the president of Guilford Technical Community College. In August, the Board selected Dr. Angela R. Ballentine, the college’s Vice President of …

Legislation passed during the 2011 session of the North Carolina General Assembly requires school districts that have not yet banned corporal punishment to send a form to all parents at the beginning of the school year allowing them to opt their children out of corporal punishment. The new law expands legislation passed in 2010 that allowed parents of children with disabilities to opt out of corporal punishment. The new legislation became effective at the beginning of the 2011-12 school year, …

North Carolina State Superintendent June Atkinson on Friday joined President Barack Obama, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other chief state school officers for the White House announcement that states can apply for waivers from provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind. The waivers would be provided in exchange for more focused efforts at the state level to “close achievement gaps, promote rigorous accountability and ensure that all students are on track to …

Vance-Granville Community College’s Small Business Center will soon offer a free seminar, entitled “Get Completely Out of Debt.” The seminar will be held from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20 in room 7107 of Building 7 on the college’s main campus in Vance County. “Being in debt and living from paycheck to paycheck does not have to be your way of life,” according to the seminar’s instructor, Greg Frank of Benson. This seminar will show participants how …

Local nurse aides (CNAs) whose certifications have recently expired or want to brush up on their skills before taking the state exams can take advantage of an upcoming course at Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin County Campus. The two-week Nurse Aide (CNA) Refresher course is scheduled to be held at the campus near Louisburg, Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., Oct. 3 through Oct. 13. Susan English will be the instructor. This course prepares students for the North …

To the Parents of Students in the Vance County School System: The Vance County School System is committed to educating all students to prepare them for lifelong learning and productive citizenship. The mission of the State Board of Education is that every public school student will graduate from high school, globally competitive for work and post-secondary education and prepared for life in the 21st Century. Each of the 16 schools in our school system functions daily to carry out the …

Southern Vance High School’s Art Department is hosting its second “Swing for the Arts” golf outing on Saturday, October 15 2011 beginning at 8 a.m. at Kerr Lake Country Club north of Henderson. The golf outing is a fund-raising event with proceeds to be used to purchase supplies for art students at the school. Anyone interested in being a part of this fun event is encouraged to contact Glenn Garrison at Southern Vance High School, by calling 430-6000 or by …

The Vance County Board of Education has unanimously approved Crystal Richardson as the new principal of New Hope Elementary School. The board took its action during a special meeting held on Wednesday, August 31. Two members of the board, Ronald Kinsley and Dorothy Williams, were not present at the meeting. Richardson, who has been the assistant principal of Clarke Elementary School for the last two years, will officially begin her duties at New Hope on Tuesday, September 6. She succeeds …

North Carolina public schools have lost 16,677.9 positions and laid off 6,096.7 people since the 2008-09 school year in response to state budget cuts, according to the most recent data reported by local school districts and released this week by the NC Department of Public Instruction. It is also important to note, that over that same period of teacher and educator job cuts, North Carolina public school enrollment has grown. Teacher positions made up 35 percent of the positions lost. …

A free seminar offered by Vance-Granville Community College will seek to help local small businesses stay competitive in the changing online world of social networking. The Small Business Center seminar, entitled “Facebook and Social Networking to Enhance Your Business,” will be held from 9 a.m. until noon on Thursday, Sept. 15 in room 7107 of Building 7 on the college’s main campus in Vance County. In the seminar, instructor Martin Brossman of Raleigh will show participants how using popular social …

One of the joys of being an educator is the excitement surrounding the start of a new school year. I remember the eagerness and nervousness of the first day of school that I felt as I young child. I still feel these emotions each year as I eagerly await meeting my new students and diving into our curriculum. In that spirit, I am delighted to welcome you back to school and share LEARN NC’s new resources with you. For those …

WEAVERVILLE — In a room full of 7th and 8th graders, Gov. Perdue asked,” Does anyone know someone who lost a job?” The sea of hands that shot up proved the point: North Carolina must help its students prepare to be competitive in a global economy. Gov. Perdue visited North Buncombe Middle School, on the second day of classes, and took questions from students at an assembly. Questions covered the basics — “How old are you?” as well as finer …

North Carolina students maintained a 21.9 average ACT score in 2011, marking the fourth year that the state’s average ACT score was higher than the nation’s, according to the 2011 ACT results released today. ACT test scores are among the factors that colleges and universities use in their admissions process. In 2011, the national average ACT score was 21.1. “I congratulate the students in the Class of 2011 for continuing a strong showing on the ACT,” said State Superintendent June …

Vance-Granville Community College’s Small Business Center will present a free seminar, entitled “Relationship Sales,” on Wednesday, Sept. 14. The seminar will be held from 9 a.m. until Noon in room 7107 of Building 7 on the college’s main campus in Vance County. Seminar instructor John Formica of Charlotte will help local businesses learn how to be more effective in sales. His tips will focus on avoiding misunderstandings with potential clients and customers, knowing what buyers find most helpful and most …

Picture of the Recession’s Impact on North Carolina Children Still Evolving Raleigh, North Carolina –According to data released by the Annie E Casey Foundation in its 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book, North Carolina ranks 38th in key indicators of child health and well-being. The 2011 Data Book paints a picture of mixed progress for North Carolina children. In a state that consistently receives high marks as business-friendly, more children and families now face greater risk of economic insecurity as a …

Registration will start Sept. 1 for three evening courses being offered by the Vance-Granville Community College Computer Center on the college’s main campus in Vance County. A course on QuickBooks, the powerful accounting system for small businesses, will be held on Wednesday evenings from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m., Sept. 7 through Oct. 26. Students will learn the types of information that businesses need to track and how to enter and track that information in QuickBooks. In addition, students will …

Gov. Bev Perdue today instructed the state agency in charge of North Carolina’s pre-kindergarten program to preserve the high standards, quality and accessibility of this crucial academic program for at-risk children. The General Assembly’s budget made significant changes to NC Pre-K (formerly known as More at Four). Changes include a 20 percent cut in funding that reduces the availability of the program to at-risk children, and the transfer of the program from the Department of Public Instruction to the Department …